Gambling App Ads on the Apple App Store Spark Concern Among Developers, Users

The Apple App Store has apparently become the subject of talks among app developers. According to them, the ad spaces on the platform appear to be favoring gambling apps more than anything else.

More Ads Show Gambling Apps on App Store

Apple Insider recently reports that some developers are growing worried about the ad slots that are promoting gambling apps on the App Store.

It seems that the product pages with the "You Might Also Like" header display advertisements that are not expected to pop out in the searches.

Some ads feature gaming and shopping, but the developers noticed the increasing number of gambling app ads.

According to iOS developer Simon Stovring, the gambling ads showed 3/10 times when he visited his Runestone product page. He believes that this is attributed to the recent tweaks that Apple has implemented on the App Store.

Why Are Gambling Apps Controversial?

App stores usually display games, software, and other apps on the platforms, but gambling apps are different from them. As such, people can earn money and stake their coins to purchase digital currency in-game.

Some of the gambling apps have a touch of a casino-like theme including Blackjack, Poker, and more. If a person wins the gamble, he/she could exchange the prize for cash in several exchange outlets such as Apple Pay, PayPal, and more. They could also redeem their winnings through prepaid debit cards.

However, many people said that these apps should not be allowed on the App Store. At least 25 states in the US said that they allegedly violated the anti-gambling laws in the country.

Aside from that, full-time gamblers often risk their financial status in life. Instead of saving money, they spend more cash that's above their lifestyle.

This is not the first time that Apple was involved in gambling apps. Previously, several lawsuits have been filed against the company. The complainants believed that the company was spearheading illegal gambling operations, hence it earns money from "unlicensed casinos."

To make things worse, app developers hope that the 30% cut on in-app purchases will decrease soon. However, Apple is planning to continue this trend this year.

More Ads Will Startle Your Scrolling

According to Gizmodo, Apple is reportedly slotting more ads on the App Store via a new update. Since the Cupertino firm wants to expand its digital ad business, we expect that more advertisements will appear on your smartphone.

The report says that this would continue in the future as Apple mentioned the Advertising Gods offering three months ago. Everywhere you scroll even though it's on the web page or Today tab, you will see ads everywhere.

Another concern among users about the ads is the data collection practice of Apple. Although the company is privacy-focused, it does not mean that it will not use your personal data anymore. There's a tendency to use it to target more subjects for its ads.

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Joseph Henry